


Stoking the Embers

by Gaqalesqua



Series: The Joys of Hope County [4]
Category: Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 5
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Open Relationships, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Sharky Boshaw being an angel, mentions of being horny on main for Faith Seed, mentions of blowjobs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2020-01-16 14:48:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18523729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaqalesqua/pseuds/Gaqalesqua
Summary: There's nothing better than having your friends visit your house. Except when you forgot to tell them about the Peggie hiding in the prepper bunker.





	1. Chapter 1

Dita loved Sharky Boshaw, but _goddamn_ , the man turned up at the _worst_ moment.

The Henbane was free of Cult influence and Dita was starting to poke at the Valley now. And she’d been knee deep in smashed pumpkins and dead cultists when her radio had blared.

_“Hey dep! Heard you were living in the old Tanami place!”_

Dita’s blood went cold and she snatched the radio from her hip.

_“I noticed there were no fuckin’ windows on the place, so I brought you some glass!”_

“Sharky, I’m not there right now,” she quickly told him.

_“S’cool, I can drop it into the bunker.”_

_Jesus fucking tapdancing-_

Dita didn’t have any option other than to floor it. Maybe Rachel was out. Maybe she was shooting Peggies, maybe she was swimming.

Maybe Dita wouldn’t have to-

_“Hey, uh, Dep, you better get over here, ‘cause I need some explanation on what I’m seein’.”_

Nope! No, Dita had been _so_ lucky that it had taken so little to convince Rachel to stop following the cult, but apparently her luck had run out.

 

* * *

  

Sharky’s gun wasn’t pointed _at_ Rachel when Dita finally got to the island, but it was definitely _out_ , and Rachel was sitting, arms crossed, on the bed. She looked _cross_ , and Sharky still looked _confused_.

“Listen, as a guy who once gave Faith Seed $20 because she’s pretty, I’m not gonna lie, Dep, I’m not surprised she managed to seduce you,” Sharky began. Dita held up her hand.

“Can you put the gun away?” she asked. “Rachel isn’t going anywhere.”

“Rachel?” Sharky’s brows furrowed.

“And she didn’t _seduce_ me,” Dita added. She looked over at the other woman. “You wanna go upstairs or stay down here?”

“I’ll stay down here.” Rachel looked over at Sharky, then away.

Dita nodded. “Boshaw, a word upstairs, if you please.”

“We’re leaving her down here?”

Dita shrugged. “Yeah? I’ve been doing that for a couple days now.”

Sharky’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

“Boshaw. Up.”

Dita climbed the ladder without another word, not waiting for Sharky, and was relieved when she didn’t hear any gunshots. A few moments later, he followed her up, and kicked the hatch shut behind him.

“So,” Sharky crossed his arms, “when were you gonna mention the, uh, cultist in your basement?”

“Well, luckily I don’t have a cultist in my basement,” Dita said brightly. “Just Rachel. Rachel Jessop.”

“So, the pretty face win you around?” Sharky asked. His brow furrowed.

Dita sighed. “Not actually that shallow, Sharky. It was…ugh. She…we were fighting and she screamed something at me. About Joseph drugging her. And I couldn’t do it. I knocked her out and brought her here.”

He grunted. “You ever think that maybe she’s lying?”

“All the damn time,” she muttered. “But, here’s the thing, Boshaw. She’s been ‘dead’ for like, five days now. And in that time, the Cult hasn’t come knocking on our door to drag her back. Joseph hasn’t announced the triumphant return of his baby sis.”

“Yeah.” Sharky nodded. “She could be playing a long con.”

“Also a possibility.” Dita shrugged. “But I have a Valley to fuck shit up in. And she’s too recognisable, even with her hair dyed and a hoodie on. So I can’t take her with me.”

Sharky’s brows shot heavenward. “So you’re just leavin’ her to do her own thing and hoping it won’t backfire?”

Dita spread her hands. “I don’t have any other options. I can’t just _leave_ her with the _Resistance_ , Tracey would tear her apart. That’s if she doesn’t kill her _before_ she desecrates the remains.”

“And she can’t ride around with you?”

Dita shook her head. “Nope,” she sighed. “Can’t risk John getting hold of her. And right now she’s far enough from Jacob that she’s just causing a bit of irritation for his mooks, so as far as ‘proximity to the Seeds’ goes, she’s safe.”

Sharky nodded. “You don’t trust her though?”

Dita looked down at the hatch. “I trust that she’s mad at Joseph, and that she wasn’t particularly loved-up on the other two. Kept my ear to the radio and the Whitetails keep talking about some girl in a hoodie who appears on a boat and mows down Chosen.”

There was a pause. Dita looked up. Sharky was staring at her. “What?” she muttered.

“Nothin’, you’re just a fuckin’ crazy cop with a big ol’ weak spot for hot chicks, my popo,” Sharky shrugged. “You really think she’s gonna just flip the switch and be your girlfriend after a couple days?”

Dita made an ‘I dunno’ noise, holding her hands up. “Seems to be working so far.” She paused. “And she’s not my girlfriend. I don’t think. I haven’t asked? I dunno, Sharkster, I’m just takin’ it slow.”

“Takin’ it slow?” Sharky repeated. He didn’t look convinced.

“I mean, yeah, we fucked, but I don’t know if she’s catching feels.” She stuffed her hands in her pockets.

“Are _you_ catchin’ feels, Dep?” Sharky asked.

“Probably,” Dita mumbled. “There’s something under there, Sharky. Under that lifetime of bullshit she’s been through.”

There was a _long_ pause.

“Man, you have _really_ thrown your ass into the shitter this time, buddy,” Sharky sighed.

“Yup,” Dita agreed.

“All right.” Sharky tucked his hands into his hoodie. “I’ll help.”

Dita blinked. “What?” she stammered. “S-sorry, what?”

“Said I’ll help,” Sharky began. “You’re shit-scared that the cultist in your basement is gonna actually turn on you and turn your back into a shooting range, and I’m really attached to you, like, as a person, so if you wanna like, _leave_ her with someone to make sure she’s shootin’ the right people, I’ll do it.”

“Sharky,” Dita’s eyes prickled, “Boshaw, she already stole $20 off you.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, but that was a different man, popo. I’m older and wiser now. I won’t give in to her demands.”

“Not even if she asks to fuck?” Dita managed, trying to swallow the lump of affection in her throat.

Sharky’s eyes widened and Dita knew that he was picturing what _she_ was picturing. And it was a _pretty_ porno too, Rachel’s thighs spread wide around Sharky’s head and her back arched.

“Deputy, you are enticin’ a man to _sin_ ,” Sharky groaned.

“Sure, sure, just tell me if you want pointers on how she likes it, ok, Sharky?” Dita chuckled.

“I selflessly offered to look after your cultist problem and you gave me a fuckin’ _field_ of boners,” Sharky complained.

Dita grabbed the front of his hoodie and dragged him in for a kiss. “How ‘bout we tell Rachel what the new plans are, see what she thinks, and if your dick is still hard afterwards, I’ll do something about the field of boners, Boshaw,” she breathed.

Sharky groaned. “Ok, but you’re tellin’ her.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Man, and here was me thinkin’ I’d wake up in a Peggie prison with old Joe bent over me preachin’ at my half-dead body,” Sharky grunted, turning the wheel. The woman ahead of him scoffed, adjusting her hoodie with one hand as she scanned the waters around them.

“You’re the one driving, Boshaw,” she retorted. “If we end up at Eden’s Gate, _you_ got us there.”

“Yeah, but like, how do I know that you aren’t using secret Bliss magic to make me _think_ we’re out on the water, instead of actually in a cellar under Joseph’s church?” Sharky pointed out.  

“You got me,” Rachel drawled, pushing up her shades. “Driving around the lake, trying to find something to shoot, that’s what I’ve made the Bliss look like this time.”

“I mean,” Sharky shrugged, “getting’ high and thinkin’ I’m shootin’ Peggies? I’m not gonna lie, that sounds like a good dream to have.”

Rachel didn’t reply.

“Well, good talk,” Sharky grunted. “Let’s see if we can piss your fuckin’ brother off if we head far enough north.”

He steered the boat slowly across the water, scanning the lake for nearby boats. He could see a couple, but they were too far to shoot right now. Dita was probably already raising hell over in Holland Valley, and it would be rude to jump in and start pissing on her turf unless she radioed him.

Besides, if he wanted to be in on the John Seed stomping, he shouldn’t have volunteered to babysit the Peggie girl and keep her from getting shot. Speaking of which.

“Hey,” he called.

Rachel turned around, the light flashing briefly off her shades. She _did_ look super weird. Black hoodie, black shades, black bandana drawn up to cover her mouth and nose. Hell, she’d even found some scissors and hacked herself some uneven bangs.

“What?” she asked.

“So, just ‘cause I was wonderin’, what’s your tragic backstory for if we run into some of my buddies?” He quickly scanned the water again. They were good. “Just, y’know. So I don’t say the wrong thing and we end up bullshitting through, like, two different stories.”

Rachel shrugged. “Do I need one?”

“Well yeah.” Sharky shrugged. “People are gonna be like, ‘hey Sharky, who’s your emo friend?’ Hell, they’re gonna wanna know who the _hell_ you are, ‘cause everyone knows I don’t have friends.”

Her fingers tapped against the gun. “I reacted badly to the Bliss,” she finally replied. “I keep myself covered and I can’t speak.” There was a pause. “Call me Rita.”

Sharky grunted. “Rita? You know nobody in this valley’s called Rita, right?”

She didn’t turn to look at him. “Then I’m not from the valley. I got caught passing through. I hate Joseph Seed. That’s all that matters.”

 _Well_ , Sharky returned to scanning the water, _she ain’t wrong_.

 

* * *

 

“Pickin’ up strays now, Boshaw?” the woman behind the counter drawled.

Sharky almost dropped his chips. “Uh, you know, I guess I am, Marie.”

“How the hell’d you convince her to follow _your_ sorry ass around?” she asked, leaning over the counter to stare at where Rachel was stood, unmoving, leaning against the wall by the doorway so as not to get in anyone’s way.

“She’s, uh,” _think, Boshaw, talk bullshit,_ “the Dep’s problem, actually. Sorta.”

Shrewd eyes narrowed. “That so?”

He shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. “I dunno. She dumped this chick in my lap and said she had to bounce. I didn’t really ask too many questions. The dep’s cool. For law enforcement.”

“For law enforcement.” Marie scoffed. “That girl blew through here like a tornado through Texas and saved our lives. And I bet all you were thinkin’ was if she’d have standards low enough to fuck you.”

 _Sure as hell ain’t tellin’ **you** I boned her like two days ago so hard she couldn’t walk_, Sharky thought as he handed her the chips. _But I’d sure love to see the hell you thought of that._

“What about you, sweetie?” Marie called, scanning the packets. “He botherin’ you at all? Just let us girls know, Boshaw’s an easy fight.”

Sharky looked back at Rachel, who looked up from her perch at the door, and then he quickly looked back to Marie. “Uh, naw, sorry, she can’t, she ain’t a talker. She can’t talk. At all.”

Marie frowned. “Can’t talk?”

“Yeah.” Sharky handed over a couple dollars. “Dep said it was a bad reaction to the Bliss or something. All I know is, she can’t say a word.”

“Aw, shit, honey,” Marie sighed. “Well, I’m damn sorry to hear that. Them Seeds have fucked up so many lives, and Faith’s done some of the worst damage I ever saw.”

Rachel looked down, and obviously didn’t say anything.

Marie looked back at Sharky, eyes narrowing. “You look after that poor girl, Boshaw. You ain’t let shit happen to her, y’understand?”

He raised his hands, dropping the chips. “Woah, I get it, no worries. I’m on it. Boshaw Protection, rollin’ out.”

“And what’s her name?” Marie added, as Sharky knelt, retrieving the fallen snacks.

“Rita,” Sharky replied. “Rita. Hell if I know what her last name is. Deputy didn’t ask.”

“Well, Rita, you’re always welcome round here,” Marie told her. Sharky would’ve died coughing if he gave into the urge to start. “Us folks from Hope County gotta stick together. Them Peggies are poison, just like their damn Bliss.”

 _I been high before,_ Sharky thought as he mumbled his thanks to Marie and darted from the store, _but I sure as hell ain’t never gone through nothing **that** damn weird before. Might as well quit blazin’ if I can get that bizarre shit for **free** just by not tellin’ Marie I’m escortin’ Faith fuckin’ Seed around. _

 

* * *

 

Sharky tried not to stare at the unmasked Peggie girl as she ate her own chips. But he caught his eyes darting back over to her every so often. It was a little dark inside the old Tanami place thanks to the lack of electricity, but that didn’t stop her from finally noticing him.

“What?” she finally asked. “Something on my face? Another question you want to ask me?”

Sharky shrugged. “I’unno. Just curious I guess.”

She put the chips down. “About what?”

Sharky paused, and then did the same. “Well, seeing as how we have the same taste in women-”

“-for entirely different reasons-”

Sharky snorted. “Please. Tell me you don’t _feel_ something when you see that girl swingin’ a shovel around like that.”

Pink spots appeared on the pale cheeks. “She pulled me out of the Father’s grasp by destroying everything that tied me to him and saving me from killing her. Whatever she did for _you-_ ”

“-killed a shitload of Angels and fixed my music system-”

“-pales in comparison.”

“So it wasn’t the sex?” Sharky asked. Rachel glared at him. He raised his hands. “Hey, no judgement here, chica. I’m just tryin’ to confirm whether or not our girl _actually_ has a magical pu- er, if her downstairs is enchanted. If the key to solving our troubles is just her spreadin’ the love around Hope County, we need to weaponise this shit.”

Rachel scrunched up her chips and stuffed them into her hoodie pocket. Sharky watched her do it, curious.

“Hey,” he called. “I’m just sayin’. I’d leave a cult for that girl and I didn’t start out on the opposite side, so. Yeah. She’s…really somethin’.”

She stuffed her hands in with the chips. The bag crinkled.

“You wanna get back out there?” Sharky finally asked.

“Do I have a choice?” Rachel drawled.

He shrugged. “I mean, yeah. Di asked me to keep an eye on you, not tell you what to do. If you wanna, like, sit here, that’s cool too. All I really gotta do is keep you from runnin’ back to Joseph’s oily ass.”

The former Faith frowned. “If I went back to him, it would be long enough to shoot him in the head.”

 _Woah_. Sharky briefly felt his dick pulse and he ignored the urge to slap his crotch. _Down boy_. “Sure, but I volunteered to make sure that didn’t happen, so, y’know. ‘Scuse me for bein’ all suspicious of you.”

She stared at him. “You’d stop me from shooting Joseph Seed in the head?”

Sharky shrugged. “Uh, no, but I’d stopped you from gettin’ into the kind of situation where you’d just end up killin’ yourself, because in case you hadn’t noticed, our favourite girl is real fond of your Peggie ass.”

“Really?” She sounded scathing. “You wouldn’t let me run off and have her all to yourself?”

Sharky blinked. “Wait, what?”

Rachel shoved her shades back on, pulling up the bandana to cover her face as she stood, and she didn’t answer him.

Sharky jumped to his feet, stuffing his own chips away. “Hold the fucking phone, lady.”

She was already heading down to the docks, and he strode after her, his brows hitting the damn clouds as he tried to mull over what she’d just said to him.

“What the hell,” he stepped onto the boat after her, “are you _jealous_?”

Rachel stepped up to the gun tower and didn’t reply.

“No, hold up,” he sat down but didn’t turn on the engine, “we’re not doin’ _shit_ until you tell me what the hell _that_ was all about.”

Rachel turned enough to be able to glare at him from behind her shades. “I’m not talking about it. Just start the engine.”

Sharky sat back in the chair. “Nah. You _seriously_ just insulted me and now you won’t even tell me why.”

She yanked off her shades, spinning around to face him, disdain written all over her drawn face. “You’re just here because you want her to _thank_ you for it!” she growled. “I don’t _need_ someone _babysitting_ me for the sake of getting attention from the- the person who rescued me, ok?!”

They were getting deeper to _something_ and Sharky still wasn’t fuckin’ sure what was at the bottom. “I’m doin’ this for the Dep,” he agreed, “but not because I want her to _thank me_ , I’m doin’ this because I’m her _friend_. And that’s what friends _do_ for each other. Hell knows I ain’t got many other fuckin’ people in this damn county that actually _like_ me and _like_ the way I set things on fire, but _she_ does. And she laughs at my jokes, ok?! So yeah, I’ll do what I can to make her life easier, ‘cause I _like_ seein’ her happy.”

Rachel’s mouth pressed into a thin line. There was silence. Sharky was used to silence but this was the long hard silence of somebody who was doing their best to cook up a response and couldn’t think of jack shit to say as a reply.

“I get it, you’re a grown ass chick who doesn’t like the idea of being babysat, but guess what, the Dep is shit scared of you running off and getting hurt whilst she’s out and about shooting the shit outta Peggies, which is why the fuck I even volunteered for this damn thing because I wanna see those fuckers run outta this place and she’s the best hope we got of gettin’ them gone,” he finally said. “For whatever reason, our girl Di really likes you, and I really like Di, and I think, I dunno, you sure as shit seem to like her too.”

Rachel looked away, tugging on her bandana. Sharky shifted in his seat, tapping his heels against the bottom of the boat. Dead silence.

“Ok.” He sat up. “Good talk. You wanna go back to shooting stuff and not talking?”

The bandana came up over her mouth and nose, and Rachel turned back to the lake. Sharky stared at her back for a few moments, and then he switched on the engine.


	3. Chapter 3

“Your girlfriend thinks I’m going to replace her,” Sharky finally said down the radio.

 _“Oh jeez,”_ Dita sighed. _“You want me to come intervene?”_

Sharky paused. “What’s, uh, the _intervention_ gonna involve?”

 _“You know,”_ Dep was probably shrugging, _“stuff. Things. Depends on what Rach wants to do, I guess.”_

“Probably throw me into the lake and let the Peggies riddle me full’a holes,” he muttered. “Fraid whatever sex-filled shenanigans you’re cookin’ up in that brain of yours probably won’t happen. That chica ain’t exactly my number one fan.”

 _“So we persuade her otherwise,”_ Dita suggest. _“Have a long talk about open relationships and how much you like giving head, and we can probably reassure her one way or another I’m not throwin’ her overboard for your pyro ass.”_

“You make it all sound so goddamn easy,” Sharky complained. “Way you say it, it’ll be as simple as tellin’ her she ain’t disposable and hey presto, she’ll be down for whatever the hell you suggest.”

 _“Listen, I’m real flexible with how we get from point a to point b, always have been. Winging it is my fucking superpower at this point.”_ Dita was yelling down the radio. She sounded like she was going fast. Was she in the air?

“Well fly on over and sort this shit out, Supergirl, ‘cause tryna walk around the house is _real_ fuckin’ awkward with her givin’ me the super silent treatment,” he grumbled.

_“Already on my way.”_

A loud _splash_ echoed across the lake nearby, and Sharky started, hooking his radio onto his hip and standing. Silently, he crossed the lounge, waiting. Wet noises, like sloshing. Then twigs cracking, bracken rustling. He frowned, cocking his head to follow the noise. They didn’t seem too concerned about staying quiet, but they sure as hell weren’t yelling. Not a Peggie. Maybe a Whitetail?

“Hey, Charlemagne Victor Boshaw.”

Sharky’s two heads perked up at the same time, and he scrambled out of the house towards the voice. Dita Bharman stood in the yard, halfway through stripping out of her soaking clothes.

“Did you fuckin’ skydive into the lake?” Sharky found himself asking, just as Dita started wriggling out of her sodden jeans.

“You said fly over and I needed to be there quick as I could,” she pointed out.

“You were on your way the second I called, weren’t you?” he accused, crossing his arms despite the obvious press of his erection against his jeans at the sight of the soaked cop.

“I asked you to look after a former Peggie.” Dita walked past him into the house. “It would be neglectful as hell if I wasn’t on _speed dial_ for your redneck ass after you agreed to do that.”

Sharky grabbed her buck-naked body by her shoulders and pulled her in for a kiss. Dita melted into his arms, soaking the front of his hoodie, then the sides, then the back, as she wrapped her arms around him with a moan.

Her hips were grinding into the front of his jeans without prompting, tongue flicking out over his lips before she pulled back slowly. “You miss me, Boshaw?” she teased.

Sharky shot her a venomless glare. “Thought you were here to patch shit up between me and your Peggie girl, not tease my _redneck ass_.”

“I can multi-task,” Dita said with a pout, but she give him a brief peck on the lips and headed towards the hatch. “Gimme a second to get some clothes on, ok?”

Sharky followed, keeping his pistol stashed in the back of his pants just in case. He heard Rachel’s voice as Dita slipped down the ladder, vanishing from sight. Rustling and rattling followed it as Dita dug clothes out of the dresser.

“Boshaw!”

It was his turn to slide down the ladder. Rachel was practically baring her teeth when he got into the bunker, but Dita slid an arm around her waist and squeezed.

“What are you doing here?” Rachel asked, looking at Dita, then back at him.

“Needed to talk to you,” Dita told her, pushing a few stray pieces of Rachel’s hair hack behind her ear. Sharky admired the smoothness of the motion. “Not to throw Boshaw into the shitter here, but he said you uh, think you’re gonna be replaced.”

Rachel glared at him furiously, her mouth set in a thin line. The expression softened the instant she looked back at Dita, her throat bobbing.

“Don’t be mad at him, Rach, that’s the best thing he could’ve done,” Dita added. “Everybody take a seat and we’ll sort this out.”

The Peggie girl folded her arms and stared at the Deputy. “You think we’re going to do a group session and suddenly this is all going to be ok?”

Dita shrugged. “That depends on what’s involved in the _group session,_ Rach.”

The pale skin _flushed_ on Rachel’s cheeks, and she looked at Sharky, her jaw tense. “I’m not sleeping with him.”

Dita nodded. “Ok. But I’d say he’s just as good at giving head as I am. Probably better. Just saying.”

“Oh my _god_ ,” Rachel growled.

“Listen,” Dita reached for her, and Rachel only shied away briefly, “hey, Rach, let’s all take a seat, okay?”

Sharky grabbed the nearby chair and sat down, leaving Rachel and Dita to sit on the bunks. He watched as Rachel’s eyes darted between him and the Deputy, hostility in one look and confusion and hurt in the other.

“Rachel, _ok_ , let’s, let’s just,” Dita sighed, “tell me why you think Sharky’s here.”

“To make sure I don’t run off back to Joseph,” Rachel drawled.

“Girl, don’t do this to me,” Dita groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as her eyes closed. “You know that’s not why.”

The Peggie rolled her eyes. “Fine! I need a babysitter!” she snapped.

Dita looked up. “You need someone watching your back,” she corrected her. “You need someone looking out for you. And I can’t trust anyone else to do that for me. I don’t want to come back here and find fucking _Tracey_ standing over your corpse yelling at me about betraying the Resistance, ok?”

Rachel’s jaw tensed. “Why can’t you let me go out by myself?!”

Sharky watched Dita raise a hand, rubbing her eyes. “You can go out by yourself if you want, you know you can. Stop making this about something it’s not. We’re not doing that. Sharky volunteered to make sure you don’t get hurt. If you want to go somewhere alone, that’s ok, you can, but I would feel better if you didn’t.”

“He wouldn’t have volunteered if,” Rachel swallowed, “if you didn’t- if you weren’t leaving me here.”

Dita sighed. “You know why you can’t come with me.”

The green eyes flashed. “You don’t trust me.”

“I don’t want John getting his hands on you!” Dita retorted. “If- _one_ of those fuckers- if they captured you, I don’t know what would happen. They might _forgive_ you, they might- they might carve something into you and then torture you, they might brainwash you. I- Rachel, I don’t want to be turning over the next Angel corpse to find out it’s you underneath that mask.”

Faith- Rachel- didn’t jump into Dita’s arms and cry. There was a moment where she raised her hand, pushed some of that black hair out of the cop’s big brown eyes, then placed her fingertips just gently over the thick strap of Dita’s purple tank top.

“That’s the only reason?” Rachel asked softly. “You’re worried about me? You promise?”

“Rachel,” Dita’s hands wrapped around the woman’s waist, “have I ever lied to you?”

A heavy, slightly theatrical exhale escaped Rachel. Sharky could see a soft look on the former Peggie’s face.

“You did hit me in the face with a shovel, and then you tied me up,” Rachel reminded her.

“Oh honey,” Dita grinned, “you know you loved every minute.”

Rachel looked over at Sharky. “And what about him?” she asked. “Is he staying?”

Dita’s brow arched. “Staying?” she repeated. “Like, to watch? Staying to help out?”

Rachel paused. “With you,” she finally said. “Are you…together? I don’t understand.”

“Uh.” Dita cleared her throat. “I’m…I’m not exactly _settling down_ with him, but even if I was…I mean, Sharky and I, we’ve got the same taste in women and we’re ok to share.”

Rachel’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Shrugging, Dita’s face twisted a little, discomfort plain on it. “I’m not…monogamous, I guess,” she admitted. “I think that’s the easiest explanation. I’m not ditching him for you and I’m not gonna ditch you for him. I want- I want to be with you both. Is,” Dita paused, “that ok with you?”

Rachel frowned. “I- I never thought about that,” she said. “I knew you’d been with- _her_ \- but I thought maybe after it was all over…you’d be with me.”

Dita reached up and grasped Rachel’s hands. “I can’t promise that,” she told her. “I can’t- and I don’t think I ever will. It’s not-”

Rachel bit her lip. “Not because of me?” she asked. “Not because I used to be a Peggie? Your enemy?”

“What do you want?” Dita asked. “From me? Do- do you want monogamy? I- I don’t know if that’s something I’m ready for. I don’t know if I want it. I like you- hell, I fucking _love_ having sex with you- and I do- I do _like_ you. You, not just your body. I like _you_. But- I can’t promise you I’m gonna- I’m just gonna _stop_.”

Sharky didn’t say a word. What the hell _could_ he say?

Dita sighed heavily. “Ok. Let me try again. If you want to be with me, you can have as much of me as Sharky has. If- if that’s not something you want, I can’t offer you more. I like what I have, what I’m doing. I know we didn’t _talk_ about this before we fucked and that isn’t fair on you. But I- is- are- are you _okay_ with that? Or…do you want to,” she bit her lip, “is this over?”

Rachel’s face fell and she pressed her lips together. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I don’t- it’s not something I ever _thought_ about. And it- _scares_ me. Having more than one- partner- usually that’s not what _good_ people I’ve known do. _Other_ cults have leaders that do this.”

Dita squeezed Rachel’s hands. “I’m not a cult leader, I’m sure as hell not telling you that you can’t fuck anyone else,” she assured her. “This is- it’s not just me this applies to. If you or Sharky want to fuck other people, I’m ok with that! Go ahead!”

The dyed brows furrowed. “I can’t do that, can I? Who else in this county knows who I am?!”

Dita sucked in a breath. “Shit. Yeah, you’re right. Sorry. But…you know what I mean. If- if you _can_ get it somewhere else, I’m ok with that.”

Rachel exhaled heavily. “I don’t get it. I don’t- is this…is it just _fun_ for you?”

“Well,” Dita swallowed, “ _yeah_ , but there’s…an emotional thing there too. We…had some _times_ together, Rach. Don’t- please don’t think I’m, like, _using_ you, please. That’s not what this is.”

Oh _shit_. Rachel’s face turned stony. Sharky watched her snatch her hands from Dita’s grip.

“We had some _times_ ,” she agreed, stepping back. “Had a _couple_ of _times_. Maybe I was just an idiot for mistaking it like it was something else.”

“Rachel, you- stop _doing_ that,” Dita protested. “Listen to me, for fuck’s sake! I meant in the Bliss! After I saved you, after you- said what you said! I _care_ about you! I saved your life because I care!”

“But you still _fucked_ me after that without coming _clean_!” Rachel barked. Dita flinched as the Peggie exhaled heavily. “You made me think I was something I wasn’t!”

Dita clenched her jaw. “You _know_ that’s not true. You _knew_ I had a thing with Adelaide.”

 _WHAT?!_ “Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me?” Sharky yelled. “You fucked my aunt? _You_ fucked my _aunt_?”

“Not now, Sharky!” Dita barked, her eyes fixed on Rachel.

The former Peggie threw up her hands. “Oh, so he doesn’t know _either_?! What, do you just _enjoy_ sleeping with people and keeping secrets from them?!”

“Wait, no,” Sharky raised a hand, “that ain’t- I ain’t _mad-_ ”

“Shut up,” Rachel growled at him. “I thought it was just- what was I _meant_ to think?! She’s loose, she sleeps around, you enjoyed her company a little and then…”

“Scuse me?” Sharky snapped. “You shut the fuck up about my Aunt Addie.”

Dita reached out and grasped his arm. “Rachel, if I had any idea you thought I was going to be some kind of lover in shining armour then I would’ve sat you down and talked you through it before we jumped into that fucking lake. I…”

Sharky grasped her hand, staring the Peggie girl down as he tried to squash the picture of Adelaide flying Tulip into her face. The only reason why-

Dita sighed, long and heavy. “I’m sorry. I’m _sorry_. Shit wasn’t supposed to happen so fast. You weren’t- we jumped into a fucking lake of Bliss, ok, I shouldn’t have gone in with you, I should’ve- there’re lots of things I should’ve done and I didn’t do them. I’m just trying to figure out what to do now and it’s- I’m doing this from the ground up. I never did this before.”

The arms stayed folded as Rachel stared at her. “I don’t know, it seems pretty clear to me.”

Dita looked away for a moment. “What do you want, Rachel?” she asked the woman firmly.

Rachel let out a tiny, bitter-sounding laugh. “Something I can’t have, clearly. So it doesn’t matter. I can’t do this. I can’t- _god_ , never mind. You know what you said earlier? Yeah, it’s over. I’m not- a _thing_ on the side.”

Dita pressed her lips together. “Rachel, that’s not- you never _were-_ ” She cut herself off. “…Okay. If- that’s your answer, I can’t- ok.”

Sharky squeezed her hand, glaring at the Peggie. “Let’s get outta here, Dep,” he muttered.

Dita nodded silently, her eyes closing, and without another word she started climbing up the ladder. On the other end of the room, the door swung open, then the hatch, and a splash came from below it. Sharky didn’t need to look back to see that Rachel had gone but he did anyway. She’d left her shades and her bandana behind nearby.

“Dep,” he called, following Dita up the ladder, “Dita, _Dee_.”

Quiet sobbing came from the house. Sharky immediately made a beeline for the open door – not like she was trying to hide. She was just sitting on the couch, her knees tucked up by her chest, and Sharky sat down, tugging her into his lap, arms wrapping around her. Hot tears and snot rubbed against his neck as he tucked her head beneath his.

“I’m real bad with cryin’ chicks,” he muttered, and Dita managed to choke out a tearful laugh.

“Thanks, Boshaw,” she sobbed.

“Any time, Dep,” he said gently, petting his fingers through her hair.

“I don’t know what to do, Sharky,” she whispered. “I don’t- I can’t- what’m I meant to do?”

Sharky squeezed tighter.

Dita wiped her eyes. “I wanna help her.” Fresh sobs escaped her, body heaving. “I don’t know _how_. Fuck, _Sharky_ , I don’t know _how._ ”

“I know, man,” he sighed. “I know.”


End file.
